Are Wrinkles Caused by Stress – What does Science Say?

It’s commonly assumed that stress causes wrinkles and greying of hair. But have you ever thought what the truth is? Is there any scientific evidence to the assumption?

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Well, if there is, you can try to reduce your stress and take a step towards looking young and if there isn’t, it doesn’t mean that you should keep being stressed up because stress does harm to your body.

The fact is that; the observations of studies are actually quite doubtful. Some studies indicate that stress does have direct negative effects on our health; however, how exactly it does that is not yet fully known.

Effects of Anxiety

Here is what is understood so far. A natural process in response to a real or imaginary threat is acute anxiety. It’s also called fight-or-flight reaction.

This includes a two-way connection between your body and brain, leading to the activation of your immune, cardiovascular and other biological systems. It’s actually your survival instinct.

However, when anxiety persists, your physiological systems remain excited for longer periods and eventually become maladaptive. As a result, it wears down your body.

Research has found that in such situation stress chemicals viz. cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine are released in your bodies.

Norepinephrine also speeds up the heart and can have an effect on the part of the brain that works on focus our attention.

This means that the chemicals released when you are stressed out constantly can cause your body to experience internal changes, which can possibly promote the external changes that you associate to ageing.

Relation between Stress and Damage to Cells

But there is more information available. Genetic researches have shown relations between stress and decline on the cellular level too.

To make the complicated genetic studies simple, three likely culprits for ageing process are considered:

1. Oxidative stress

Oxidative stress is supposed to weaken our genes due to the production of oxidants (highly reactive molecules formed from infection, inflammation, cigarettes and alcohol).

In a study, researchers exposed some worms to a couple of substances that deactivated oxidants and the lifespan of the worms increased by an average 44%.

2. Glycation

Glycation takes place when glucose (sugar) binds to your proteins, lipids and DNA, making them less effective.

Studies observe that as with age, glycation leads to a stiffening of skin, reduction in circulation and increased malfunction of body tissue.

3. Diminishing Telomeres

Diminishing telomeres is a process taking place naturally every time with a cell’s division and reproduction.

Telomeres are the areas present at the ends of your chromosomes and as you age, they diminish naturally.

Scientists are now trying to find how stress and anxiety may accelerate this process, discovering its connection to muscle weakening, increased cell death, greying, loss of hearing and vision and wrinkles.

Effects of Wrong Lifestyle Habits

Besides these biological processes, daily lifestyle habits may also be responsible for wrinkles and grey hair.

When people are stressed, they usually don’t eat, smoke cigarettes, have less or no time to exercise and sleep irregularly, all of which can speed up the ageing process.

And if you include brow tensing, frowning and stiffening of face and neck muscles in all the above factors, it becomes a perfect formula for a prematurely aged look.